Wednesday 24 September 2014

The walk of shame!

I was the first child of my family. I'm a girl, but growing up, the fact that my brothers were different hadn't entered anyone's mind. We were just 3 kids, doing what we needed to and having loads of fun. We all protected each other from others while fighting amongst ourselves. Till today I warn people, "watch out! My brothers will sort you out", even though I usually sort everything out myself. Fact is, I feel no different from them and vice versa.

I guess you could call me a feminist, though I've never thought of myself as one. I stand up for myself, put up with no nonsense from men (or women, for that matter), am strong, I dress as I please and let people say what they want. I act in The Vagina Monologues and talk about it on stage and feel no shame. If I see a woman being abused, my blood boils, but these traits, to me are normal. All the women I know, from my grand mom to all my friends and their daughters are exactly like this. And these women have not been part of any feminist movement. They are ordinary women going about life in the only way they know, being strong and dignified, commanding respect from anyone who meets them! That women will be respected by men and women alike is a given in my world!

When my niece was a baby, Dali collected all my nephews clothes and got them for Rhea. I said, "boy's clothes?" "She doesn't know she's a girl", Dali said in all her wisdom! And that is the truth! A girl is just a person until you point out the difference to her! And perhaps that is the way to give her strength!

And yes, this is about slut shaming! A woman's body is her own to use as she pleases. If she is an actress showing cleavage, a prostitute, a porn star, a mother, fat, thin, it's her choice! So perhaps the world needs to shut up and stop debating inane issues like cleavages! Because my friends, with rape, murder, unemployment up to bad roads, mission to mars, rising prices, population explosion and further on to the maid bunked work today and "I have nothing to wear", there is much to discuss! As they say, "aur bhi gham hain zamane mein, cleavage ke siva!"

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